What if you need to add technical illustrations or create illustrations from scratch for documentation? This presentation includes tips & suggestions.

1. Tips for Technical Illustration
Tricia Spayer
STC Webinar
21 October 2014
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2. Who am I?
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@tspayer

3. In this session
• Making illustrations more useful
• How to NOT scream “amateur”
• Following ISO standards for icons
• Drawing from scratch
• Enhancing imported illustrations and photos
• Enhancing screen shots
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4. Making illustrations useful
• Highlight areas of focus
• Use line weights for emphasis
• Fill in
• Call out
• Self-explanatory
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5. Example
"Interface lg" by Original uploader was Joshgeake at en.wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-
Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Interface_lg.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Interface_lg.jpg
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6. Example
Jim Hatch technical illustration: http://www.hatchillustrations.com/Technical-Illustrations-Line-Tone
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7. example
Instead of… Do this…
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8. Example
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9. What makes it scream “amateur?”
• Fonts
• Colors
• Too cluttered
• Inconsistent
• Too much (of anything)
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10. example
Instead of… Do this…
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11. example
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12. example
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13. example
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14. ISO Standards
• Standards based on IEC 82079-1: preparation
of instructions for use
• ISO 7010 – standardized safety signs
• IEC 60417 and ISO 7000 – graphical symbols
for use on equipment
• Symbols generally: 5 mm min. height (14 pt)
• Safety signs: 10 mm min. height
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15. ISO Graphical Symbols Booklet
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16. ISO 7010 Symbols
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17. IEC 60417 Symbols
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18. Using symbols
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19. Drawing from scratch
• Abstract concepts
• What do you want to say?
• Less is more
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20. Representative drawings
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21. Simple shapes
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22. Abstract Concepts
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23. Isometric Drawings
• Projecting a 3-D object
• Use guidelines and gridlines
• Make sure angles are the same (or correct for
perspective)
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24. Isometric drawing
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25. Isometric drawing
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26. Isometric drawing
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27. Enhancing illustrations and photos
• Line drawings vs. photos
• Hardware documentation – get engineering
drawings
• Photos – grayscale vs. color
• Contrast
• Focus on subject (remove background clutter)
• Be consistent throughout documentation
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28. Enhancing imported drawings
• Import – vectors whenever possible
• Easier to manipulate and use
• Get rid of:
– Anything that gives away private company
information or trade secrets
– Any object that is irrelevant to your area of focus.
Extra doors? Cables? Vent holes, lines that
obstruct your focus, that do not mean anything
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29. Example
Before… After…
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30. Example
Before… After…
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31. Example
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32. Enhancing screen shots
• Highlight areas of interest
• Lighten areas that are of no interest
• Show screen orientation (for partial shots)
• Make items clearer and readable
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33. Screen shots
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34. Screen shots
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35. Conclusion
• Keep drawings simple
• Get rid of details that do not matter
• Use fills and line weights for emphasis
• Use symbols and drawings that already exist
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